Thursday, December 26

Italian Comfort Food for New Year's Eve: Stewed Lentils with Sausage

I love good comfort
food, chicken noodle soup when your sick, meatloaf and mashed potatoes
that remind me of being a kid, you know the classics. But the longer I
live in Italy, the more I love Italian comfort food and wish I had been
raised on passatelli in brodo, potatoes and cabbage mash or pasta
norcina. Another classic Italian comfort food - stewed lentils with
sausages. Lentils are very Italian and found in many dishes across the
boot, but they are eaten most during the holidays. On New Year's Eve it
is best to eat a few spoonfuls of stewed lentils with your cotechino
to ensure fortune in the coming year! But the best lentils in Italy are
from the tiny mountain top village of Castelluccio di Norcia on the
Marche-Umbria border. The tiny greenish/brown legumes are not only known
for their soft skin & creamy texture, but the beauty of the
fields in May-June when the lentils are in bloom! (Read this past post for photos and more about Norcia.)

In
a heavy bottomed pot on low heat add olive oil and gently sweat the
garlic, celery, carrot and onion with a crack of salt and pepper. Once
the vegetables are soft, turn up the heat a bit adding the sausages.
Cook the sausages on all sides just to get them started.

Add
in the sage leaf (you can add or substitute any herbs you like). Drain
the lentils, then add them to the pot along with the tomatoes. Pour
about 2 cups of stock (or 400 ml) into the pot and bring up to a slow
simmer.

Simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender, adding a little stock if it begins to look too thick.

To finish, adjust seasonings with salt and pepper, fish out the sage and garlic if you like.
Drizzle good extra virgin olive oil and serve with crunchy toasty bread.